Because our society continues to expand in the area of science and high technology, the teaching of science-related courses is more important than ever. Complimenting this appreciation for the need of training in the sciences, such as Mathematics, is the recent discovery that children are able to grasp complicated concepts at a much earlier age than has ever before been thought possible.
To take advantage of both of these factors, a special apparatus needs to be devised so that at the beginning learning stages children will have a physical model which will enrich the learning process. It is also important that this learning model will be both manipulative, as well as visual, to be most effective. In this way, the teaching apparatus can be an "object to think with" or "a transitional object" in the learning of Mathematics.
One of the most important areas of Mathematics is algebra. It has been discovered that by using the apparatus of the present invention, elementary school children can learn basic algebraic concepts and the methods of solving algebraic equations once thought only appropriate for the 9th grade level. This apparatus and the teaching methodology that accompanies it thus constitutes an educational innovation.
By using the instant device, 3rd and 4th graders can easily solve such equations as EQU 2X+X+X+2=2X+10, 2X+(-X)+3=(-X)+15, and 2(X-1)+4(-X)=X+(-8).
That 3rd and 4th graders can solve such equations at all is a tribute to the power available to students when an abstract concept is presented through a physical model that they can readily grasp and manipulate. The present invention provides an accessible "hands-on" learning system for algebraic linear equations for elementary schoolage children. The students simply "set up" a given algebraic equation using pawns and cubes and then proceed with physical ease to carry out various rules for moving the pawns and cubes, called "legal moves", and thereby solve the given equation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to create an educational aid for teaching basic algebraic concepts.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for teaching young children how to solve simple linear algebraic equations.
Other objects of the present invention are to provide a learning system for algebra that (a) makes the subject easy for students to learn, (b) provides children with tremendous sense of mathematical power and self-confidence, (c) bolsters students' mathematical interest, (d) lays a concrete, intuitive foundation of what equations are all about, and (e) provides an important step in improving Mathematics education for students in the United States so that their achievement is the best in the world.